Open Secret: Gay Hollywood--1928-1998

by David Ehrenstein

Hollywood isn't just a place or an industry -- it's a fantasy that unfolds in the minds of moviegoers the world over. And talking about "who's gay in Hollywood" has always been the most socially acceptable way of talking about homosexuality period. But times have changed for gays and lesbians inside Hollywood and in the culture at large. Ellen DeGeneres "came out" to a world quite different from the one that allowed Marlene Dietrich to "stay in." And while Rupert Everett may be called "the gay Cary Grant," the real Cary Grant would never have described himself as gay -- even though he was.So what has it meant to be gay in Hollywood, not just as a star but behind the scenes as well? How homosexual actors and actresses came to define straight America's sexual self-image is only one of the paradoxical and provocative questions explored in Open Secret, a revealing cultural chronicle of gay Hollywood. From the silent era to the age of the multiplex and beyond, homosexuality has been a fact of life in the film industry, and scores of important personalities -- stars, writers, directors, producers -- have enjoyed long and spectacular careers on both sides of the camera, despite mainstream America's professed bias against gays. Part social history and part Tinseltown expose, this entertaining book spans seventy years, painting knowing and vivid portraits of many of Hollywood's foremost gays and lesbians, often in the words of eyewitnesses or the principals themselves. Veteran entertainment journalist David Ehrenstein traces the gradual transformation from an era when gays and lesbians had no public profile in "polite" society to the modern era when many top entertainment figures are not merely comfortable with their sexuality but actually celebrate it -- and are in turn celebrated for it. In the process, he presents a unique reflection of American society as a whole and its ever-changing attitudes and values.

Genres: Nonfiction, Queer, History, LGBT, Gay, Film, Sexuality

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 7, 1998

About the author

David Ehrenstein was an American critic who focused primarily on gay issues in cinema.

Reviews

[Marsha Altman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oof. This book has aged. Calling it a "book" is really generous, since it's a discussion of history (that part is actually very interesting) and more just transcripts from interviews he did with celebrities or people who knew celebrities where they talk gossip from 30 years ago.

The main thing that becomes apparent in the second half of the book (which was published in 1998) that he takes a hard stance on all celebrities needing to out themselves for the good of the cause and names names. Some of those celebrities weren't out in 1998. Some of them aren't out NOW. Everyone's personal journey of sexuality is complex and it's not mandatory to share it.

And there's a whole chapter on Tom Cruise, titled "Tom Cruise," even though he admits that Tom Cruise isn't gay.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The history of gay Hollywood cannot be summed up in one book any more than straight Hollywood can, but Ehrenstein's exhaustively researched tome comes close to being the definitive account. It is a superb companion to Vito Russo's Celluloid Closet (which documented the history of gay and lesbian characters in films, rather than who's working in the industry). Beginning in the late 1880s with the invention of cinema and the terms "homosexual" and "heterosexual," Ehrenstein examines the very open secret of homosexuality in the entertainment capital, validating Michelangelo Signorile's theory (in Queer in America) that the Hollywood closet has always been maintained by studio producers, publicists, the tabloid press (who continue to create heterosexual romances for gay/lesbian celebrities because they sell papers) and the stars themselves. In short, everyone knows except the public.

The chapter on scandal magazines vividly demonstrates that the same publicity machine that denied, obscured and repackaged stars' reputations in the 1940s and '50s is still working overtime in the '90s.

Profiles and conversations with gay/lesbian studio heads, producers, directors, screenwritersand publicists, as well as firsthand narratives by those from earlier eras (including Gavin Lambert, Gloria Stuart and Armistead Maupin), flesh out Ehrenstein's study (to his credit, he doesn't use any anonymous sources).

It's all here: Liberace's two libel suits against newspapers for saying he was gay (he won twice!); how AIDS changed the political and social landscape of same-sex life; the press backlash to Ellen DeGeneres's coming out; and even that gerbil rumor.

So knowledgeable and articulate a tour guide is Ehrenstein that these stories come fully alive after decades of meticulous cover-ups and public facades.

[Ghym · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a little dated--about 10 years to be exact--but it is still quite interesting. Many of the facts about newer stars (Ellen DeGeneres, Lily Tomlin, Nathan Lane) are well known because they've all been outed, but there's a lot of interesting background about old-time movie stars like Rock Hudson, Liberace, Charles Laughton. Not much has changed since this book has been written and stars are as much in the closet today as they were in 98. Ninety-eight might have even been a high point, what with Ellen and all. Anyway, an interesting read, overall. It's fascinating to see how the closet still exists though everyone is so gay friendly and liberal on the outside in Hollywood. A definite must read.

[R.J. Gilmour · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ehrenstein's Open Secret is a rambling book that trades in how gossip about homosexuality circulates because of how Hollywood treats homosexuality as a secret.

"Lambert feels that Hearst's establishment of Louella Parsons as the town's premier gossip purveyor was engineered to some extent as a preemptive strike against those few brave souls who might raise a journalistic eyebrow over his liaison with Davies." 45

"What people experience as prostitutes is a fascinating view of the world. Looking up from the bottom at everything rather than down from the top. There's no smoke and mirrors." 145

"Just as in the early 1980s, when the epidemic was first impacting, as the century comes to a close, no one wants to talk about AIDS." 167

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did you know that in the 30's/40's movie studios had an abortionist on staff in case one of their unwed starlets got themselves in trouble? Interesting stuff. There are some good facts I learned. But it was kinda boring. I skimmed more than read, looking for names I recognized. I think it's hilarious that they dedicated an entire chapter to whether or not Tom Cruise is gay. The readers were not given a conclusion on that subject.

[Nathan Phillips · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really admire Ehrenstein as a writer and as a bonus he's a fellow alum of the Criterion Forum back in the day. Since his other book is about Martin Scorsese, this is the only one that really piqued my interest -- and while his writing is as erudite as ever, so much of this book is given over to long interviews with uncloseted executives talking about how the treatment of gays in the film business has changed. That's very tedious, not least because the book is now a quarter of a century old, and the impact on people working in the business side just isn't very interesting. The chapters in which Ehrenstein more closely analyzes how the larger culture dealt with the AIDS virus and with landmark incidents like Ellen DeGeneres' coming out are somewhat better but in general, it's a surprisingly superficial book despite starting off with a bang.

[Melanie]

I'd critique this book very differently if it was published now rather than towards the end of the last century. As it is, there's less about old Hollywood than I would have liked, and a LOT about the state of TV/movie business in the 90s. Which is fascinating from a "where we were then" perspective if less interesting from a general LGBTQ+ perspective.

[Gabriella Ramirez · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re looking for what is essentially a very long bind item, this is up your alley

[Kevin Fitzsimmons · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wonderfully researched book. I found the parts of the book about "old Hollywood" to be the most interesting: Liberace's lawsuit against Confidential magazine, James Whale, George Cuckor and Armistead Maupin's encounter with Rock Hudson. These segments make the book worth the purchase.

Where the book feel short for me was on more contemporary issues. I thought the sections about Ellen coming out dragged a bit (and a good portion of the book is about Ellen). I think part of the reason these sections were so boring is that they didn't seem to have a context.

I recommend the book, but I think that it could have connected its use of central themes between old and new Hollywood a lot better. Connecting Ellen being an out lesbian with the non-gender conforming behavior of Katherine Hepburn and Marline Dietrich sexual identity might have allowed the phenomenon of the "open Secret" being exploded by Ellen to have more power within the book.

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beginning and end were slow but the middle was very engaging. I'm glad that I pushed myself through. It's definitely due for an update after all the changes in the last 15 years.

[Karen]

Learning about Gay Hollywod: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1mhG...